The Opelousas courier., 1887-04-23
Rice Should be a staple Crop OF
8t. Landry.

aiHuGgeHtIOnS upon the culture ana care
full handling of rice; some reliable sta
tistics upon it's production in the United
States since 1850; the amount of inn
ports and the market value of the same
since 1861 its great value as cheap
bread food over other grain; and
showed that, as there was no danger of
an overproduction of rice, remunerative
prices could always be obtained for a
| merchantable article in all the markets
| of the world.
In this article we desire to draw a
parallel between the labor and cost of
production of cotton as compared to the
cultivation of rice; the prices of each
in the leading markets; and to. show
that rice as paying crop, everything
considereel should be made leading
crop, and cotton only a subsidiary or
surplus crop to fill up the time not re-
quired to cultivate all available rice
lands that could be irrigated, or that
| could be drilled and cultivated. Every
farmer who has planted and cultivated
| cotton knows that it is plant that re-
quires work from the beginning to the
end of the year that in breaking, pull
verizing, planting, ploughing, and hoe
ing cotton; then picking, hauling to
the gin, paying for. bagging and ties
and ginning the staple, requires more
hard and continuous labor; more wear
and tear of teams and agricultural i'm
plements; more expenses to finish and
market cotton crop, than any other
three grain crops combined And after
all this labor, uncertainty of yield, con-
sumption of time, no remuneration or
sale Of crops until the close of the year,
what does the planter receive as the
sum total of his risks and industry 2
On an average he cannot expect more
than half bale of cotton per acre, and
by reason of its Reproduction and
excess of demand in the markets of the
world, he cannot reasonably expect to
realize more than eight cents per pound
for the. best grade and only seven cents
per pound for an inferior staple. Then,
at the rate of q half bale of cotton per
acre-which is oftener less than more
or $50 lbs. of lint cotton at the maximum
price of s cents per pound, the planter
receives $4,000 Deduct expenses for
bagging and ties $l,25, and for ginning
81 25 $3.50, leaves $3.50, the net
amount he gets from an acre at above
figures. IL he sells for less his relnuner-
alton is still more reduced. From this
small amount of returns, you still must
deduct the price of the time and labor
of men and teams, the wear and tear OF
lands, implements, and stock, and haul
ing to market, &c. Now, where is the
margin of remuneratiye profits under
this estimate and plain statement, which
no one can successfully deny! How
can any farmer accumulate money, or
keep out of debt, when cotton is the
all crop to pay his merchant for ad-
vances of provisions and merchandise
at high credit prices? Now, glance at
the labor and the cost Of production Of
rice and the prices of this grain IN the
market. The main work for successful
rice planting by irrigation is to build
the necessary dams. ievees, and drain
age canals When this is once proper
" done and suficiency OF water is
basined for use, it requires but COM
paratiye little more labor to keep them
in repair, and places the rice farmer
virtually independent of dry weather.
The labor of men and teams in break
ing, planting, aud narrowing in the rice
is no more than that required to plant
cotton. Here his labor stops until the
rice is nlatured and ready for harvest
ing. When improved reapeis and bind
ers are introduced here the cutting OF
rice will be quickly and clieaply done; !;
aud when sufficient number OF thresh-
ers are brought into the parish the
crops will be as economically and ex-.
peditiously prepared for the market.
All low lands, that cannot be success.
| fully inundated as necessity demands,
can be prepared as corn lands, seeded
| in drills, aud be cultivated with half
the labor required for corn. The yield
of rice per acre in this parish ranges
| from l2 to % barrels, according to the
fertility of the soil, securing q good
stand, and a proper cultivation and
prompt handling of the grain in harvest
time. Everything considered the aver
age yield may be put at III barrels per
acre. at an average price of $l.75 to
$500 per barrel of rough rice of 1b2
lbs, weight. This, therefore, would
give the planter $3.50 per acre; or
| deduct SIS 90 for expenses would leave
handsome balance of $4,000 per acre.
The labor, all considered, for producing
rice crop as compared to cotton would
only be about one third of that required
for the latter. And the returns I'D
Drices from sale of rice, it will be seen,
almost double that of cotton. For
want of space we will have to continue
this article In next weeks issue.
-----------ssans
WEATHER AND FARM. Although
The clouds were heavy and lowering on
last Sunday evening and light spfin-
kIe of rain excited hopes OF copiouss
shower. vet the high winds dispersed
| fIle yapor, shifted north during the
I.night and brought another cold. dry
wave nnon us which has continued GO
dry up the soil with an increased ratio
aimee that time. Oats and mlilet are
suffering materially from the prolonge.a
droutb, the cotton that ls Up = not
much better, and cotton aud rice plant
ed within the past few days will doubt
| less lie in the ground until snfnelehs
rainfall takes place to germlnate Ihe
seed. Everything needs ram, ., ahu y
farming operations will be slow until y
comes.
Messrs. j. Meyers Il GO. have re-
ceiyed large rice mower and binaer.
This ii move IN the right ftirectaon
~ n. -. eF Fz1S1